Matrimonial Woes
by twilit angel
Summary: With the war with Plegia over Chrom is ready to become king of Ylisse. However, something is brought to his attention that makes him question his future. He later has a dream that makes it all the much harder to answer and admit to a fear he never encountered before. Just who in Naga's name is he supposed to marry?


Chrom stormed through the halls of the palace. He was not in a good mood and from the way the servants in his path fled at the sight of him they knew it was best to stay away. While it was uncommon for him to be in such a rage so early in the morning, no one wanted to venture to ask him the problem. Not when he had the legendary Falchion at his side that he so obviously knew how to use. It was good that no one did. Though he was angry, he knew later on he would regret hurting anyone during his rage so he was thankful no one, not even his loyal Shepherds, was smart enough not to ask.

He soon made it to his room in the west side of the palace. Opening the door, he stomped inside and slammed the door shut behind him. As if the door had not suffered enough abuse, he whirled around to punch it as hard as he could. The poor door creaked and cracked but did not break. Breathing heavily, he leaned his back against the door, cursing whatever god could hear him for his fate.

He could not believe the audacity the Ylissean royal council had sometimes. How on Earth did his sister deal with them on a daily basis? On any other day the thought of Emmeryn would bring down a heavy weight on his heart, but at the moment he was too frustrated.

It had only been a fortnight since the war with Plegia ended. Not long after his army returned to Ylissetol the royal council thought it best to coronate him as the Exalt as soon as possible. The war took a heavy toll on their people in more ways than one. Not only had they lost many friends and family they had lost a beloved ruler. All of Ylisse knew Emmeryn as a kind Exalt, who pulled them out of the dark times her predecessor put them through. She brought home fathers, husbands, brothers back home. She rebuilt her country from the ruins it became to the peaceful and thriving place it was today. When they received the news of her death all were devastated.

In order to raise morale and lift their spirits the council thought by putting him on the throne would do the trick. By making it such a huge celebration, they could both celebrate the end of the war and his ascension as the new ruler. He told them he would not take up the title of Exalt out of memory of his sister. He would never live up to the title the way she did.

While the need for celebration was something he understood, he didn't feel like it would raise his spirit like it would for his people. He simply lost too much during the war.

The circumstances behind his coronation were not what sparked his anger. No, it was the fact they brought up an issue he was not ready for was what pushed him over the edge.

Marriage.

As the council were preparing him for how the coronation ceremony would commence, one of the council brought up the issue of who he would choose as his future wife and queen. Chrom, taken back by the question, was left speechless. He asked them why they wished to know.

Then, they told him he needed to get married to raise the morale and show the world Ylisse would always overcome whatever hardships came their way. He tried to argue he didn't need a wife yet to show Ylisse's strength. They didn't need to prove a thing! They argued that he did and needed a strong woman to become his queen.

They argued for an hour over the possibilities of his love life. The council wouldn't take no for an answer, so they eventually gave him an ultimatum.

He had to marry within a year and provide an heir the year after or else they would have Lissa take up the title.

The thought of his younger sister (his sweet, innocent Lissa, who had already been put through enough) enraged Chrom. How could they make him go through this by threatening his last family member! To prevent a mass murder he pushed himself from his seat and stormed out of the room, ignoring the calls for him to return. He would not return until they changed their minds!

Chrom heaved a heavy sigh. His knees gave way so he slid down the door to sit on the floor, uncaring of his position. He ran a hand through his hair. All of his anger and energy were exhausted in that single punch.

What was he going to do? He _needed_ to get married. Chrom absolutely refused to let Lissa take up the throne. It was not because he was power hungry. No, he just didn't want Lissa to be put under the stress of ruling a country. Lissa was the baby of their family. He and Emmeryn did their best to shield Lissa from the cruel reality that surrounded them.

When their father died before the end of the first war with Plegia Emmeryn did her best to give both him and Lissa a childhood while she acted as a diplomat of peace for their country. Lissa was too young so she wouldn't remember how every time Emmeryn came home after a walk through the city she would have bruises where rocks were thrown at her and the food stains on her robes from rotten fruit. Their people would no longer do that, but Chrom was afraid to let Lissa shoulder their anger should they turn on them in desperate times.

Chrom would rather shoulder that anger and hold his head high than see Lissa's love for her people break her.

So he had no other choice. He had to get married.

 _Gods, but who would I marry?_ Chrom, though a prince and soon-to-be king, was not exactly the type for romance. He was a man meant to lead an army and cut through a battlefield, for Naga's sake! He did not know the first thing to romancing a woman! It was true there were several women in his army he wasn't certain how to actually talk to them as a man and woman would. Not to mention the fact he was only close to a select few of them. The only women he was close to were Sully, Maribelle, Sumia, Robin, and Olivia. _Must I choose from one of them? This couldn't be harder._

If he had to choose from the five of them, Chrom wasn't sure if he could actually ask them to be his wife. While he was close to all of them (even Olivia, whom he had made his friend on the mark back to Ylissetol despite how they recently met), he wasn't sure which of them would be his life partner. He had grown up with Sully in his childhood, so he mostly saw her as more of an honorary sister. With Maribelle he gained an acquaintance because she was Lissa's best friend. Sumia was one of the first people to join the Shepherds, so they forged a bond through battle. And Robin was his tactician. That in itself spoke of how much he valued her as his friend. He would even say she was his best friend even though he did not know much about her past.

Was he really supposed to marry one of them? He didn't want to choose someone he didn't trust with his life and it was those five women in his army that he trusted the most.

Again, Chrom heaved a sigh. Sitting there thinking wouldn't get him anywhere. He needed some time to think things through. Not only that, he had a year to think about who would be his wife. He had more important things to worry about like his coronation ceremony in two days for one.

The thought of his coronation made him groan. Gods, just thinking about his ceremony exhausted him. Give him an army to cut down any day. He didn't want to recite a speech in front of a majority of his people. Just thinking of standing there, speaking with all eyes on him, made him nervous.

 _I need a nap._

A nap sounded good at the moment. Chrom was too tired to think after the many sleepless nights his ceremony preparations left him with. Standing on his feet, he unsheathed Falchion from his side to place it on its special stand by his four poster bed. It was there to be in arm's length in case of an invasion on the palace. He removed his cape and shoulder guard to place on a chair next to his writing desk before throwing himself on the perfectly made bed. The feeling of softness surrounded him and he sighed, content.

 _Just a few hours of sleep. Let me have at least that,_ he thought, laying his head on the pillow. Whatever issues that went on in the palace could wait. If it wasn't an extreme emergency, he was certain Fredrick or Robin could handle it. Everyone knew if he was not present Fredrick and Robin were left in charge.

Closing his eyes, he relaxed and drifted off into sweet unconsciousness in the sweet silence in his room.

* * *

xxx

* * *

 _The sound of knocking on his door made Chrom open his eyes. Blinking in confusion, he sat up as the door to his room opened. In walked in Fredrick, who stood at the threshold with his hands held behind his back and head bowed._

 _"_ _My lord. Good morning," Fredrick said. He lifted his head, eying Chrom carefully and he frowned. "You are still in bed? We have an important day ahead of us. It is almost time for the ceremony."_

 _"_ _What? It's already time?" Chrom jumped off the bed to reach for his cape and Falchion. Why did Fredrick not wake him? He was going to be late for his coronation ceremony! His hand touched Falchion when he felt his wrist be grabbed. Looking up, he was surprised it was Fredrick who grabbed his wrist. His fellow Shepherd and faithful knight shook his head to pull him towards the door. They walked out into the hallway when Chrom asked, "Frederick? Don't I need to get ready?"_

 _"_ _What for, my lord? You are already dressed for the occasion. You must have fallen asleep, waiting. No doubt you could hardly sleep the night before."_

 _Chrom glanced down at himself. Frederick was right. He was already dressed in his finest blue tunic that he only wore for special occasions and had on ceremonial armor as befitting the prince. Falchion, as always, was by his side. For a moment he wondered when he even had the time to get dressed in such elaborate clothing but didn't question it. He must have forgotten he dressed earlier. He noticed Frederick was also wearing his best armor as a knight should for momentous occasions. Though, he didn't seem out of place in his armor unlike Chrom, who squirmed uncomfortably at wearing fine clothing. He was worried he'd ruin it somehow._

 _Chrom allowed his loyal knight to lead him through the halls of the palace. It was a fairly quick trip-so quick Chrom blinked and suddenly saw they were in front of the audience chamber already. At the door stood some of his best warriors like Gaius, Virion, Stahl, and many others. Even Basilio and Flavia were there. Lissa stepped out from among them and ran over to greet him._

 _"_ _Chrom! Wow, look at you!" she whistled, impressed. She gave him a teasing grin. "Of course the one day you look that good is for this ceremony. I don't remember you dressing up like that for anything."_

 _"_ _It_ is _a special day, after all," Frederick agreed. He managed a small smile at both Lissa and Chrom. "The future of the halidom depends on this moment. It is joyous for all."_

 _"_ _Well, it's joyous for ol' Blue there, that lucky dog!" Gaius hooted, smirking wide. "To think he'll get first picking! With his good lucks and his new title of king I'm not surprised."_

 _"_ _I wouldn't want to be in his position." Lon'qu shuddered, his stoic warrior mask breaking for a fraction of a second._

 _"_ _Hohon! You say that, but Chrom is truly the envy of all men today," Virion chuckled. He walked over to slap Chrom on his back, which he actually allowed for once. "You must do them good, my liege. It is not every day they are willing to go through with such a thing! Ah, they are the stars to brighten the night sky! Their beauty is unmatched throughout the realm!"_

 _"_ _I'll say! It's not every day Chrom can choose from such lovely ladies!" Basilio boomed, laughing louder than all of them combined._

 _As all the men and the few women gathered told him their congratulations and well wishes, Chrom was left wondering what on Earth they were talking about. At first he assumed they were congratulating him on rising to the Ylissean throne. Yet, from the catcalls and hoots from the men, this was for something different. He just wondered what it was they were talking about._

 _"_ _Now, now. I think we should let the captain head inside. He's already late as it is." Cordelia's soft spoken voice broke through the crowd. She offered a serene smile at the Captain of the Shepherds. "Congratulations once again, Captain. I know one of them will surely make you happy."_

 _Chrom nodded, going along with everything._

 _His army parted a path for him in the center. Chrom, with faithful Frederick shadowing him at his heels, walked forward towards the chamber doors and pushed them open._

 _Surprisingly enough, for such a momentous occasion as everyone said, the audience chamber was almost empty. The sheer size of it was still the same with the green carpet in the center of the room that led to the two thrones towards the very back. At the foot of where the thrones were, however, Chrom felt sheer panic at the sight of five women dressed in white. They were Robin, Sumia, Sully, Maribelle and Olivia. All of them were dressed as brides on their wedding day. They were identical dresses made of white silk and light blue sashes around their delicate waists to form a bow in the back. None of them had on veils, yet held bouquets of flowers._

 _"_ _Frederick," he swallowed, attempting to keep down the panic from overcoming him, "what is this? Why are all of them doing here dressed like that?"_

 _"_ _Did you forget, my lord? Today is your wedding day," Frederick said, ignorant to Chrom's growing hysteria. "You are to choose from one of these five women and will become your queen and wife."_

 _"_ _Of course, we asked for their permission to do this," Lissa piped in. "It's a good think all of them are in love with you already."_

 _"_ _Huh?!"_

 _Chrom abruptly flushed. What was Lissa talking about? They weren't in love with him…were they?_

 _"_ _Chrom!" Sully grinned at him, flushing as red as he was. "You'll choose me, right? I mean, no way in hell would I dress up like this for anyone else. But, since it's for you…"_

 _"_ _Hah!" Maribelle scoffed. "As if Lord Chrom would be interested in a brutish ruffian like you. He needs a more delicate presence by his side."_

 _"_ _I-I don't think that's true," Sumia stuttered. She gave a shy smile at him. "The captain should choose someone he trusts, not on how they act."_

 _"_ _Spoken like a true commoner."_

 _"_ _What's that supposed to mean!" Sully demanded. Her hand twitched around the bouquet she held. At any moment Chrom thought she was going to attack Maribelle with it as if it were one of her lances. "At least I knew that Chrom wouldn't go after anyone in the Royal Court! He hates stuff like that! But you went ahead and thought he'd go after one of those simpleminded fools!"_

 _"_ _They are not simpleminded!" Maribelle objected. She stuck her nose in the air as if there was a foul stench in their midst. "Though, I must pity you, Sully, as my lord has only ever seen you as one of his men. He never once considered you a woman!"_

 _"_ _That's a bit harsh," Sumia intervened as Sully was affronted by the truth of her words. "Maribelle, you didn't have to say something like that. And besides, she's kind of right. We all knew Chrom isn't fond of that side of his duties."_

 _"_ _And this is coming from the one who only makes pies for him?" Sully shot out, angered that she was being defended. She was the type of person who could fight her own battles be they physical or verbal (though any verbal fight always escalated into a physical one)._

 _"_ _N-Now, ladies, please don't fight," said Olivia in her soft voice Chrom always admired. She blushed a shade that matched her hair. "We shouldn't be talking about this in front of everyone."_

 _"_ _Olivia's right," Robin agreed, ever the levelheaded one. "We're just making fools of ourselves by arguing in front of Chrom. It's not very appealing, anyway."_

 _That was the wrong thing to say._

 _Chrom winced as Sully and Maribelle rounded glares filled with contempt at Olivia and Robin. Olivia, the poor, shy creature she was, flinched while Robin stood her ground._

 _"_ _Appealing, you say? You mean as appealing as my lord found your body?" Maribelle hissed. Both Chrom and Robin went crimson red. How did Maribelle know about that? "Yes, I know about that. Someone saw the two of walk in on each other in the baths. It was no secret when there was screeching. Everyone thought it was a Risen attack!"_

 _"_ _I-That's not-" Robin stuttered, attempting to get her bearings together. She cleared her throat. "They were accidents, Maribelle. We had become much closer after that, but not in the way you're thinking!"_

 _"_ _Yeah, but it's better than barely getting any word out when you're so damn afraid of everyone." Sully rolled her eyes. "Seriously, how is it possible to be in love with Chrom when you've only known one another for a month? He's never going to marry someone he just met."_

 _Olivia said nothing, her face becoming a deeper shade._

 _"_ _That's not what matters." Sumia came to Olivia's aid by turning their attention on her. "What does matter is that Chrom still has to decide which of us he wants to marry."_

 _All eyes soon turned on him. Chrom felt as if he were being scrutinized by a pack of wild and angry wolves. That would have been better than this. He would have known how to handle the situation instead of dealing with a group of angry women that were all, apparently, in love with him._

 _"_ _Well, um, yes. I suppose I should choose." He tried to keep his voice level and confident. All that came out was a terrified cough at the end. He studied each of them without meeting their hopeful and expectant eyes. Gods, this was a choice he didn't want to make! Why did it have to be these three? And why put him on the spot like this?_

 _"_ _Chrom, you're going to marry me, right? We've known each other since we were kids," Sully reminded him._

 _"_ _You've also known me since we were but children," Maribelle added, holding her head high. "But I am more familiar on how to deal with your royal duties."_

 _"_ _B-But I understand how to make you happy when you're not," Sumia said, smiling._

 _"_ _You know you can always trust me when you need to talk," Olivia admitted. Her back straightened just as it does when she danced._

 _"_ _Chrom, whoever you choose, just know this won't ruin our relationship. I'll always be your tactician and friend," Robin reassured him. "But I still hope you'll choose me, Chrom."_

 _Chrom couldn't breathe as they all began to call his name to get him to pick them. His face became hotter and hotter as he became too flustered to think straight. The way they said his name urged him to choose them instead._

 _"_ _Chrom!"_

 _"_ _Chrom!_

 _"_ CHROM!"

Chrom woke, gasping at the very mention of his name and the hand on his shoulder. On instinct hone after years of combat he reached for Falchion. His wrist was caught before he could.

"Chrom, it's okay. It's just me." It was a feminine voice that was a lullaby that could calm him.

"Oh. Robin, it's you," Chrom sighed, relieved. It was just Robin.

Just…Robin…

He tensed, reeling away from her. He hadn't realized he was on his bed until he tumbled to the floor. His head cracked against the marble floor, a mild ache forming.

"Chrom!" Robin ran to the other side of the bed to where he had fallen. She reached down, grabbed his upper arm, and helped him sit up. Her touch chased away the last of the haze clouding his mind. "Are you okay? That sounded like it hurt."

"Yes. No, I'm fine." Chrom rubbed his head. Beneath his fingertips, he touched a small bump. "I've had worse before. It's nothing I can't handle."

She giggled. "Yeah, I guess so. A small bump on the head can't compare to a Risen attack. At least I hope so."

Robin calmed herself and brushed her snow while hair over her shoulder. Chrom tried hard not flush in memory of her in white silk.

"A-Anyway, what are you doing in my bedroom?" he questioned, standing to his feet.

"I heard about what happened this morning and thought you needed someone to listen," she said. "I didn't mean to enter without knocking, but you weren't answering and you were asleep. So…"

"It's fine. I wasn't doing anything except napping."

"I saw that. Though, you were frowning a lot in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?"

He shuddered slightly as he remembered. Nightmare, indeed.

"Something like that," he conceded, vaguely.

There must have been something about his voice that piqued Robin's interest, because no sooner did he say that her brown eyes gleamed. They always got that way whenever she heard new information.

"Oh? What was it about? Maybe talking about it can help lessen whatever's on your mind," she suggested, already settling on the bed.

Chrome couldn't exactly say no to that. Robin was the one whom he could confide in the most. He trusted her with his life and secrets. What was one more?

He hesitantly explained his dream to her as best he could. By now, it began to scatter back into his subconscious. He could hardly remember exact words and he only remembered the subtext and feelings throughout the dream. As he spoke, he began to calm down. It helped Robin silently listened and took in everything. It was like she were listening to a scout's report rather than his silly night terror.

"That's quite the dream," she replied at the end. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger in thought. "I don't blame you. I'd be just as freaked out if I had a bunch of guys fighting over me. It'd be funny, but then I think of what you, Gaius and Donnel can do and it scares me if you all asked me to choose between you.

"Which is why I don't know what to do," he said, thankful she wasn't laughing at him. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm expected to find a wife within the year. The only women I'm close to are you five. As of right now, I don't know whether I have feelings beyond friendship for any of you. I'd rather not marry someone I don't know, so it has to be one of you five."

"True. You don't want to rush into a whirlwind romance and make a mistake."

That was true. He'd be surprised if he actually fell in love with someone new in a year. "What do you think I should do?"

She sighed, releasing the lock of hair.

"Honestly, I don't know," she answered. "If this were a battle, I would know what to do. But, this is a battle you must face alone and I don't have much advice. All I can tell you is to wait and see what happens. A lot can happen in a year be it a new title or a blossoming love."

His hopes were dashed and he felt dejected. "I had a feeling you would say that."

"I know. I'm predictable when it comes to love." Robin stood up, smiling sympathetically. "Speaking of which, we should head down to the barracks. Remember we're celebrating Gaius and Coredelia's engagement?"

"Oh, right." In the midst of his own crisis he had forgotten they were having a celebratory party for the thief and the pegasus knight. Two days before Gaius finally worked up the courage to propose to Cordelia. Chrom was surprised the two had feelings for one another but was happy for them. "Let me wash my face first. I don't want the others to see I slept the day away."

She giggled, brushing down a lock of his hair that stuck up where he slept on it.

"Good idea. We don't want them to see their soon-to-be king be so unproductive. I'll meet you outside."

Chrom stood from the bed. The stress of the day melted away now that they had this talk. Chrom was thankful for Robin. She always knew what to say to make him feel better. He was in a much better mood now that he had a nap and talked with her. It made him feel as if he had an ally in this situation.

As he made his way to the wash bowl on a stand nearby, Robin walked to the door. She was about to open it but paused.

"Chrom?" He looked at her. She met his eyes as she smiled. Oddly enough, her pale skin was pink in the setting light. "Just so you know…If you ever had to choose someone you really had to marry, I wouldn't mind if you asked me. I wouldn't be completely against the idea.

… _What?_

Chrom could barley process her words before she quickly left the room. When he was alone his face was full on hot. His heart beat wildly against his chest. He put a hand on his face to feel the heat beneath his fingertips.

At least he knew if it came down to it, he knew some of the women he could choose to marry. After all, who knew if feelings would change?

As Robin said, a lot could happen in a year. Perhaps he would discover love where he never thought he would?

He certainly hoped so.

* * *

 **XXX**

* * *

 **Yet again, I've done another story on Chrom's love life! I don't know why, but it's really fun to write these kinds of things considering the game mechanics.**

 **By now, I'm sure you guys know that in the game Chrom has at least six female characters he can call his wife. At the end of chapter 11 whoever he had the highest support with will ultimately become his wife. That's really hard when you want Olivia to be Lucina's mother since she appears in that very same chapter. The sixth female is a random villager if the five female characters are already married or if they don't have a support with him. That is one most people avoid because it will mean Lucina's stats suck. Speaking of which, I wonder why the game developers didn't make Cordelia an option? I mean, for the majority of the game Cordelia leaves not so subtle hints she's in love with the guy (if she isn't already married).**

 **Anyway, I wrote this solely for the fact that I think it would hilarious if Chrom was forced into this very situation and how I had a dream about this. I had an odd dream after playing _Awakening_ before bed where we were past the Plegia war and yet Chrom wasn't married. I took the role of my avatar and somehow I even remembered I was married to her husband in the game, Owain. Long story short I tried to set Chrom up on a date, it didn't end well, and he realized he basically had to get married because everyone in the army had someone except for him. Of course, I had to write about it. Since Chrom is Chrom, well, I just like messing with him outside my dreams.**

 **Moral of the Story: Don't play _Awakening_ before bed. It gives you weird story ideas like this.**

 **Please review!**


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